If Your Birthday is December 23rd...

 ...you share it with Jerry Koosman, who ranks just behind Tom Seaver among Mets pitchers of the late '60s and '70s. The National League's 1968 Rookie of the Year won a pair of World Series games in 1969 -- including a complete game effort as the Mets closed out the Orioles. His greatest season came in 1976, when he won 21 and finished second for the Cy Young Award. Moving onto the Twins, White Sox and Phillies, the Minnesotan remained an effective pitcher into his 40s and finished with 222 career victories. After the Mets announced a change in policy on retired numbers, his 36 will be honored during the 2021 season.

Jerry Manuel succeeded Willie Randoph as Mets manager in the middle of the 2008 season. But the team collapsed that September and finished under .500 the next two seasons. A former big league infielder, Manuel managed the White Sox from 1998 to 2003, with winning records in four of his six seasons, including the 2000 A.L. Central title.

Tim Harkness was a placeholder for the early Mets, a former Phillies and Dodgers prospect who held down 1st base as homegrown prospect Ed Kranepool developed. The story basically played out as planned -- though the suburban Montreal product came to claim some highlights. On June 26th, 1963, his 14th inning grand slam at the Polo Grounds brought the Mets from behind for a walk-off win over the Cubs; on April 17th of '64, he was the first Met ever to bat in a game at Shea Stadium -- and in the 3rd inning, became the first Met with a base hit at their brand new home.


Victor Martinez was one of baseball's best hitting catchers with the Indians of the 2000s. A series of injuries turned him into a DH, but his bat never cooled off. The native of Venezuela retired after 2019 with 2153 hits, a .295 average and a career on base percentage of .360. These days, he's moved into a different sport, owning and training race horses.

Shawn Chacon's eight year career in the majors was marked by inconsistency. A mid-season 2005 acquisition by the Yankees, the righthander won seven games (and another five over the first half of '06), before he was sent to the Pirates.

Mitch Haniger, the Mariners power-hitting outfielder was a late bloomer. Becoming a regular in 2018 at age 27, he made the All Star team while smacking 30 home runs. Haniger was on his way to another productive season in '19 when was ended by a ruptured testicle; he sat out 2020 after further injuries, including a ruptured disc in his back. Healthy and working out this off-season, he expects to back in Seattle's lineup in 2021.

...And Remembering

Ken Hubbs, the 1962 National League Rookie of the Year. A gifted fielder who showed flashes of hitting excellence, he was to be one of the young players the Cubs hoped would join franchise icon Ernie Banks for better days later that decade. The Southern California native was absolutely adored by teammates, such as Banks and fellow Hall of Famer Ron Santo. But his dreams were shattered just days before he was to report to spring training in 1964, when his private plane crashed in Utah. He was just 22.


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